Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy
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- Create Date：2022-02-23 07:51:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Timothy Zahn
- ISBN：0593158318
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Summary
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Thrawn and his allies race to save the Chiss Ascendancy from an unseen enemy in the second book in the epic Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy from bestselling author Timothy Zahn。
Thrawn's latest triumph still rests newly on his shoulders。 He has led the Chiss to victory and brought glory to the House of Mitth， but the true threat to the Ascendancy has not yet been extinguished。 Their foes do not send threats or ultimatums， do not mass ships on the edge of the Chaos。 Their weapons come cloaked in smiles and generosity: Gifts offered freely。 Services granted unconditionally。
Across the Ascendancy， seemingly inconsequential events could herald the doom of the Chiss。 As Thrawn and the Expansionary Defense Fleet rally to uncover the plot， they discover a chilling truth: Rather than invade Chiss capitals or pillage resources， their enemy strikes at the very foundation of the Ascendancy， seeking to widen the rifts between the Nine Ruling Families and the Forty Great Houses below。 As rivalry and suspicion sow discord among allies， each warrior must decide what matters most to them: the security of their family or the survival of the Ascendancy itself。
Thrawn's latest triumph still rests newly on his shoulders。 He has led the Chiss to victory and brought glory to the House of Mitth， but the true threat to the Ascendancy has not yet been extinguished。 Their foes do not send threats or ultimatums， do not mass ships on the edge of the Chaos。 Their weapons come cloaked in smiles and generosity: Gifts offered freely。 Services granted unconditionally。
Across the Ascendancy， seemingly inconsequential events could herald the doom of the Chiss。 As Thrawn and the Expansionary Defense Fleet rally to uncover the plot， they discover a chilling truth: Rather than invade Chiss capitals or pillage resources， their enemy strikes at the very foundation of the Ascendancy， seeking to widen the rifts between the Nine Ruling Families and the Forty Great Houses below。 As rivalry and suspicion sow discord among allies， each warrior must decide what matters most to them: the security of their family or the survival of the Ascendancy itself。
Reviews
Scott
，
Not as good as the first one， the entire plot with Haplif overall was good， but the chapters with him were ugh。 Also Thrawn was almost a minor character。
Rachel Kelley
，
Excellent installment， as always。
Dee
，
After that last piece of shit I read， I was in need of a palate cleanser。 I can rarely go wrong with a Star Wars book， and especially not one written by Timothy Zahn。 This book， like all of Zahn’s Star Wars， reads like a firsthand account。 While that does mean it can feel a little like a textbook， what with all the names， locations， details， and military tactics， none of it is gratuitous， all of it contributing to the mystery at the novel’s center。 Its major theme of loyalty isn’t as deeply or e After that last piece of shit I read， I was in need of a palate cleanser。 I can rarely go wrong with a Star Wars book， and especially not one written by Timothy Zahn。 This book， like all of Zahn’s Star Wars， reads like a firsthand account。 While that does mean it can feel a little like a textbook， what with all the names， locations， details， and military tactics， none of it is gratuitous， all of it contributing to the mystery at the novel’s center。 Its major theme of loyalty isn’t as deeply or even effectively explored as it might think， but it’s supported enough to make all the pieces click satisfyingly into place。 It’s certainly not the most moving novel I’ve ever read （not even the most moving Star Wars novel）， but it’s a whirlwind of disparate plots and characters and motivations that all coalesce into a single， elegant point。 Zahn’s （and Thrawn’s） return to the Star Wars canon is a gift that keeps paying dividends。 。。。more
Darren Wall
，
I am a huge fan of Zhan's original trilogy but have really struggled with this one。 Based in a universe we don't know with alien races we have not seen I'm finding it difficult to keep track as to what's what and who's who。 I am a huge fan of Zhan's original trilogy but have really struggled with this one。 Based in a universe we don't know with alien races we have not seen I'm finding it difficult to keep track as to what's what and who's who。 。。。more
Costen Warner
，
This has been my least favorite book in the series thus far。 Most of the story was isolated to military conflicts， with the plot line stagnating in the process。I would expect the third book to wrap everything together in a more illuminating fashion。 Zahn’s writing style and the narrative elements of the audio book continue to be highlights。
Daniel Jones
，
At first the book felt boring and drug on， but as the book continued it began to get better。 y the time i finished the book I was really into it and can’t wait to read the third one。
Nate
，
I really enjoy when Star Wars steps outside of the main saga and characters we all know， and I really like Thrawn， but this was a little tough for me to get through。 There is not a single character of stature inside of a Chiss family （outside of those in the Expansionary Defense Fleet） who I like which is unfortunate because this book is almost all Chiss politics。 I actually like the idea of pulling back from the Thrawn trope in which he knows the answer to some complex situation， doesn't fully I really enjoy when Star Wars steps outside of the main saga and characters we all know， and I really like Thrawn， but this was a little tough for me to get through。 There is not a single character of stature inside of a Chiss family （outside of those in the Expansionary Defense Fleet） who I like which is unfortunate because this book is almost all Chiss politics。 I actually like the idea of pulling back from the Thrawn trope in which he knows the answer to some complex situation， doesn't fully inform his colleagues about what's happening， and letting them be surprised when it all works out。 That's Thrawn in a nutshell and I do enjoy that about him， but this is the fifth Thrawn book I've read so I'm thankful to get a little bit more of something else。 Unfortunately， I just don't care about the Chiss social and political structure。 I'm very excited for how the plans laid by the true villain of this book play out in Lesser Evil which may make me rethink how I feel about this story。 。。。more
Anthony Dorsey
，
Definitely not my favorite of the Thrawn books but still interesting and compelling throughout。 Really felt like just the middle chapter leading to an epic finale in Lesser Evil （which I’ll get to soon enough） and less a story on its own。 As always， Marc Thompson remains on of the best audiobook narrators on Audible so no complaints there。 This was also the first Thrawn book where I felt like he took a back seat in favor of other characters。 Haplif’s part in the story felt like it took up too mu Definitely not my favorite of the Thrawn books but still interesting and compelling throughout。 Really felt like just the middle chapter leading to an epic finale in Lesser Evil （which I’ll get to soon enough） and less a story on its own。 As always， Marc Thompson remains on of the best audiobook narrators on Audible so no complaints there。 This was also the first Thrawn book where I felt like he took a back seat in favor of other characters。 Haplif’s part in the story felt like it took up too much time to set up where it was shown early on where it was going so I didn’t feel much tension in those sections and the resolution to it wasn’t very satisfying。 I also had a hard time keeping track of names with all the new Chiss characters who had similar naming conventions so the audiobook was helpful in distinguishing characters by voice。 There was also several lingering plot lines which weren’t resolved such as the Sunchine plot as well as much new information on the overarching antagonist set up at the end of the previous book。 I am looking forward to seeing how the finale explains Thrawn’s exile when he’s found by the empire and this book seemed to just be a stop gap until then。 。。。more
Jeremy Bautista
，
After enjoying the first canon Thrawn book， which was his origin story of sorts， rising the ranks of the Empire， Zahn's second book， Alliances， frustrated me in some ways because of how different they were。 Now after the first book of the new Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy， Chaos Rising， a telling of his Chiss origin story， this second installment left me with a similar feeling。 Now that the table has been set， all the players have been identified， all the motivations are in place。。。 what now for Sen After enjoying the first canon Thrawn book， which was his origin story of sorts， rising the ranks of the Empire， Zahn's second book， Alliances， frustrated me in some ways because of how different they were。 Now after the first book of the new Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy， Chaos Rising， a telling of his Chiss origin story， this second installment left me with a similar feeling。 Now that the table has been set， all the players have been identified， all the motivations are in place。。。 what now for Senior Captain Thrawn， the Springhawk， and the Ascendancy？ It turns out， a pretty complicated mystery。Not being a scholar of the mystery genre storytelling， I will say that much of the threads that wove together at the end revealing the ultimate problem did not seem interesting at all as a standalone vignette to spill ink on。 Particularly there were whole sections of the story devoted to the tedious story about the Agbui （a new race of people） trying to weasel their way into getting some land to grow some of their spice。 Sure， that thread is important to the whole， but it was tedious getting to that point。 I think this book will read better for me the second time through， and probably fine for fans of mysteries that come together all at the end。Zooming out to the big picture， the relationships between Thrawn and his allies and rivals continue to be teased out and better defined。 I have hope that going into the third book， this will continue to develop leading to his eventual starting point with the Empire。Again， Marc Thompson is a master of voices and truly brings to life the emotion and drama of the story。 I picked up the novel to help refresh my memory of past chapters and， OMG， with all the alien names and species and planets to have to read and process mentally--forget about it。 Thank you Marc Thompson。 I don't think I could get through a novel like this without his voice。 。。。more
Logan Johnstone
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Very good overall。 The ending was simultaneously slightly disappointing but also a believable conclusion， only part of the book I wasn’t sure if I liked。
Will Hudson
，
More Thrawn goodness。
Babe
，
Could have been better， but still worth reading。
Josh
，
Another well-done production of an audiobook。 There is some time jumping that I assume is easier to follow in the book。 Still leaves you wondering how someone as charming and likable as Thrawn eventually becomes part of the Empire’s elite。
Luis
，
No muy bueno， esperaba mucho más。
N。E。C。C。
，
I was expecting more。Story: The first half of the book is boring， i didn't care about anything that happened， it was mind-numbing。 The second half picked up and got more interesting， the pace wasn't as slow as the first part。 All the space battles were great， it's not something that fascinates me but Thrawn makes it better。 Greater Good shows us more about how the Chiss Ascendancy works， there's a lot of politics involve （as one would expect from one of this books） but it felt like it had much m I was expecting more。Story: The first half of the book is boring， i didn't care about anything that happened， it was mind-numbing。 The second half picked up and got more interesting， the pace wasn't as slow as the first part。 All the space battles were great， it's not something that fascinates me but Thrawn makes it better。 Greater Good shows us more about how the Chiss Ascendancy works， there's a lot of politics involve （as one would expect from one of this books） but it felt like it had much more that the previous book。 I'm not really into politics so that made it harder for me。Characters: Aside from Thrawn， Ar'alani and Jixtus， everybody was boring and aggravating。 Lakinda wasn't that bad， she got better by the end of it。 The main problem with this book is that Thrawn is barely in it， i wished there was more of him because i mainly read this books because of him （and also for Ar'alani， another one that doesn't get much story time）。Audiobook narrated by Marc Thompson: He's God。Overall: I had high hopes for Greater Good because i LOVE Chaos Rising but it ended disappointing me。 Still， it was an entertaining book and i don't regret reading it。 I liked it。 。。。more
Jay
，
One of Zahn's best books on Thrawn and the Chiss Ascendancy。 There is a usual slate of other characters， all well developed and mature， and the subject / plot line is more of a mystery than I remember any other book from Zahn。 This one did feel a little slow in the beginning but picks up speed （and becomes unputdownable） probably about 6/10 of the way through。 Once it get going， all the earlier pieces click and it leads to a stunning and attention grabbing climax/conclusion。 The third book is on One of Zahn's best books on Thrawn and the Chiss Ascendancy。 There is a usual slate of other characters， all well developed and mature， and the subject / plot line is more of a mystery than I remember any other book from Zahn。 This one did feel a little slow in the beginning but picks up speed （and becomes unputdownable） probably about 6/10 of the way through。 Once it get going， all the earlier pieces click and it leads to a stunning and attention grabbing climax/conclusion。 The third book is on the way from the library now and I can't wait。 。。。more
Dee R
，
A long list of characters to remember but the author would easily refresh my memory as to what role any particular character played。 The story is a bit slow for the first two hundred pages （hence my three star rating）。 But once it gets to a particular murder， then the story picks up pace and draws your attention。 The last chapter was a little disappointing because the justifications of highly questionable acts where just too easily explained away， but the VERY end will leave you wondering what d A long list of characters to remember but the author would easily refresh my memory as to what role any particular character played。 The story is a bit slow for the first two hundred pages （hence my three star rating）。 But once it gets to a particular murder， then the story picks up pace and draws your attention。 The last chapter was a little disappointing because the justifications of highly questionable acts where just too easily explained away， but the VERY end will leave you wondering what dark secrets are yet to be uncovered。 That alone will make you want to pick up the third book in this series。 。。。more
Adam
，
My favorite out of this series， the "memories" chapters really tie in nicely。 My favorite out of this series， the "memories" chapters really tie in nicely。 。。。more
Christa Chirico
，
While I preferred the story of the first Thrawn Ascendency book to this one， I still have to praise the production， the writing， and the narration of yet another amazing addition to the backstory of this awesome character。 This sequel also very much sets the stage for future details and the looming question of WHAT will be the final push toward Thrawn’s exile from the Ascendency。
Britain
，
Very good。 However， you can tell it's the middle in a trilogy。 It is definitely not a standalone; however， the characterization and arcs of secondary characters were very solid。 Thrawn， himself， actually pulled back from the spotlight a bit while the Ascendancy as a whole was pushed forward。 I appreciate the "memories" mini-chapters。5 stars with the trilogy。4 stars， maybe 3。5， on its own。 Very good。 However， you can tell it's the middle in a trilogy。 It is definitely not a standalone; however， the characterization and arcs of secondary characters were very solid。 Thrawn， himself， actually pulled back from the spotlight a bit while the Ascendancy as a whole was pushed forward。 I appreciate the "memories" mini-chapters。5 stars with the trilogy。4 stars， maybe 3。5， on its own。 。。。more
Geoff
，
The second in the “Thrawn origin /Prequel” series takes us deeper into Thrawn backstory & the houses the rule the Chiss ascendency。 It does drag at times & sets up a lot of plot points for the next book in the series。Not a good stand alone novel。
Caroline | caro。library
，
DNF at 47%。 Very confusing， not enough Thrawn。 I am not able to follow the side plots with random side characters AT ALL on the audiobook。 I struggled a bit with the first in this series， so I’m not going force myself to finish the rest。
Nedam Pravoime
，
Surprisingly little Thrawn in this one， and when he is there he's not much of a military genius nor are his tactics entertainingly outrageous like usual。I was looking forward to learn more about the mysterious Chiss， but here all mystery has been sucked out as they have completely human actions， emotions， and lifestyle， and if they weren't referred to as Chiss I bet no one would even notice they're supposed to be aliens。 And their use of items like zippers， forks， knives and endearments like "hu Surprisingly little Thrawn in this one， and when he is there he's not much of a military genius nor are his tactics entertainingly outrageous like usual。I was looking forward to learn more about the mysterious Chiss， but here all mystery has been sucked out as they have completely human actions， emotions， and lifestyle， and if they weren't referred to as Chiss I bet no one would even notice they're supposed to be aliens。 And their use of items like zippers， forks， knives and endearments like "hun-bun" just drives this point further home。 The story felt unnecessarily bloated with so many PoV characters most of whom just weren't interesting enough to carry the plot。 It would have been better if all those many many pages were condensed in just a few paragraphs explaining what happened， and interesting character got more room。 This way going through the book felt like traveling jump-by-jump instead of using a navigator。 Thrawn was also separated from other characters so the interactions that really define who he is， whether a vicious adversary or a socially awkward dork， were not present here。 I especially missed his interactions with Ar'alani。 The only positive about that was that she got to really shine on her own in this one， and show her own brand of brilliance， but again with so many PoVs she got a tiny bit of the book for herself。 There's also a bit weird sub-plot of distracting women with jewelry， no less than 3 in the novel， while men carried on with the plot。 It felt weirdly out of place in a novel with otherwise complex female characters。The later half of the book picked up the pacing and was more interesting， but still I felt unsatisfied because I never felt the stakes were high and too many plot points were left unresolved for this to stand as a novel on its own， even if it is the middle of a trilogy。 。。。more
Samuel Harris
，
As a longtime fan of the Star Wars and Thrawn books， I've been enjoying this newest trilogy a lot！ Hear my full review here: https://anchor。fm/fracturedfiction/ep。。。 As a longtime fan of the Star Wars and Thrawn books， I've been enjoying this newest trilogy a lot！ Hear my full review here: https://anchor。fm/fracturedfiction/ep。。。 。。。more
Olivia Irey
，
I loved this one even more than I loved chaos rising。 It’s incredibly well written and the story is gripping。 I’d heard complaints that people didn’t like how little Thrawn there was in this one。 I have to disagree， by using so many different viewpoints Zahn was able to weave a complex play and mystery that all came together in the end in an extremely satisfying way。 The characters were all interesting even the most mundane ones （ I’m looking at you Lakphro）。 Zahn created characters we weren’t s I loved this one even more than I loved chaos rising。 It’s incredibly well written and the story is gripping。 I’d heard complaints that people didn’t like how little Thrawn there was in this one。 I have to disagree， by using so many different viewpoints Zahn was able to weave a complex play and mystery that all came together in the end in an extremely satisfying way。 The characters were all interesting even the most mundane ones （ I’m looking at you Lakphro）。 Zahn created characters we weren’t supposed to like but didn’t make them just inherently evil， and the ones we were supposed to like weren’t just inherently good。 Every character had depth。 。。。more
Emperor Katie
，
This book has reminded me of the fact that I want to rewatch Star Wars Rebels。 Again。
Luke Brock
，
Book 2 is slightly better than the first one。 The plot was very intense and complex。 The villian Jixtus does well to create more tension within the Ascendancy。 I appreciate Zahn and his character development in his characters。 The families that they remain loyal to but also make decisions for the betterment for the Ascendancy add good tension and thickens the plot。
Don Bennie
，
Not quite as satisfying as Book 1 but often the 2nd book is a bridge in the wider arc。Thrawn himself definitely takes an important but lesser role in the mid story machinations。 Tough to say more without spoilers but well written and not overburdened in detail or tangents。
Michael O’ Riordan
，
A fantastic book and a great sequel to the Chaos Rising book。 Very well written as always。 Timothy Zahn has undoubtedly become my go-to author。
Luc Berthelot
，